USDA corn rating slips

Corn in the 18 major states was rated 75 percent good to excellent as of June 8, down one percentage point from a week earlier but well above 63 percent at the same time last year. This year’s crop was rated 21 percent fair (22 percent a week ago and 29 percent last year) and 4 percent poor to very poor (2 percent last week and 8 percent last year, the USDA said in its weekly Crop Progress report.

Corn emergence in the 18 states was at 92 percent, ahead of 83 percent a year ago and 90 percent as the 2009-13 average for the date.

The soybean crop in the 18 major states was initially rated 74 percent good to excellent, 22 percent fair and 4 percent poor to very poor, with no comparison to a year ago because the crop was not far enough along to rate. Soybeans were 87 percent planted (81 percent average) and 71 percent emerged (62 percent).